What If God Spoke to Me?

When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:4

In today’s passage, God appeared to Moses, speaking audibly from a burning bush. I’ve often wondered about these Bible stories, wishing that God would speak out loud to me. I’ve had those times in my life where I didn’t know which way to go and, seeking divine guidance, I’ve asked for God to speak. I’ve told myself that if he did answer, I would do whatever he asked. Who wouldn’t? I mean if God literally commanded us in a distinct voice, we’d all listen, right?

I’m not so sure. In my addiction, I knew I was defying God’s will. It wasn’t as if I used drugs out of some confusion about right and wrong. I clearly understood that diverting opioids was evil, but I did it anyway. When I asked God to remove my addiction miraculously, I didn’t hear an audible voice, but I knew God wanted me to confess, go to treatment, and change my life. I refused. My failure was not for lack of knowing God’s will. What God wanted couldn’t have been clearer, even if he’d have spoken from a burning bush. I failed because I followed my will, despite knowing God’s will.

In recovery now, I don’t do it perfectly, but I try to live the way I believe God intends. There’s no audible voice from heaven every day, telling me what to do. I do have God’s word though. So, daily, I get up early and I read my Bible. I try to live as Christ prescribed, abandoning self, loving God, and loving those he’s put in my life. When I’m following God’s path, his will in those big life choices is much more obvious. When offered the opportunity to work in jail, it became clear that it was the right thing to do. There was no voice from heaven. I was just in a very different place than I was in my drug addiction and so, I knew that God was giving me an opportunity to be obedient, so I did it.

We often want the voice from heaven. If God spoke out loud, I’d obey. God is always speaking though. He’s given us his word and his commands. We know how we should live, but often, we only want help in the big, vocational decisions, while we retain control of the day-to-day decisions. If we refuse to follow him in the little things though, we’ll be deaf to his voice in the big things. So, daily, we must read God’s word, asking how we wants us to live. Then, we must do it. God is always speaking. We simply must learn to listen and live as he desires – every day, in everything.